A spectacular win by the Indian cricket team left no stone unturned in the game, as Australia lost by a margin of 99 runs in the Second ODI match played at Holkar Stadium, Indore. Indian middle-order batsman Shreyas Iyer finally found some runs under his belt after a long comeback. Shreyas Iyer brought his A-game while batting at No. 3 and struck a barnstorming ton.
Australia, after winning the toss, invited the hosts to bat first in the batting paradise of Indore. The visitors made the right decision by choosing to bowl first but failed to implement their strategies, as their bowling looked completely one-dimensional throughout the 50-over innings.
Australia which was led by Vice Captain Smith Smith today in the Absence of Pat Cummins, made big changes into the Squad as Mitchell Marsh, Marcus Stoinis and Pat Cummins made way for Alex Carey, Josh Hazelwood, and Spencer Johnson who made his ODI debut.
On the other hand, KL Rahul led India and also made one change as Prasidh Krishna came in place of Jasprit Bumrah. India, batting first, played outstanding cricket and posted a mammoth total of 399 with the loss of 5 wickets in 50 overs, which is also India’s highest ODI total against Australia.
Visitors, while chasing, looked timid and weary. The second innings were affected by rain, and Australia received a revised DLS target of 317 runs in 33 overs. Australia, hoping to level the series with a win, collapsed like a house of cards and lost the series with one match to go.
However, late fireworks by Sean Abbott’s bat couldn’t affect the match result in favor of Australia, and they have now lost 5 ODI matches in a row. With a win for India at Indore, India became the fourth team to win the most ODIs (7) without a defeat at a single venue. Moreover, India became the first team to slam 3000 sixes in ODIs.
Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill’s wondrous double-ton partnership; Gill breaks multiple records
Josh Hazlewood did manage to stop opener Ruturaj Gaikwad early in the innings, but Shreyas Iyer, who came in at No.3, started smacking Aussie bowlers from the word go and toyed with their bowling. Shubman Gill joined the party, and both batsmen laid a great foundation for the coming batters. Gill (104 off 97, 6th ODI century) and Shreyas Iyer (105 off 90, 3rd ODI century) built a 200-run partnership, which is the fourth-highest ODI partnership for India against Australia. Gill recorded his 5th ODI century and 7th international century in 2023.
The 24-year-old Gill has played 35 ODI innings so far and holds the record for the most runs in ODIs after completing 35 innings. Former South African player Hashim Amla held the previous record with 1844 runs, but Gill has now dethroned Amla, scoring 1917 runs in 35 innings with an average of 66.10 and a strike rate of 102.84.
Moreover, in terms of innings taken since their debut, Gill (35 innings) now becomes the fastest Indian batsman to reach six ODI centuries. Furthermore, the Punjab-born Gill has become the 7th Indian player, after Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, and Shikhar Dhawan, to hit five or more ODI centuries in a calendar year.
Rahul and Sky Continued to Entertain the Indore Crowd
The Aussies got Iyer and Gill out within the span of four overs, but KL Rahul’s 50-run partnership with both Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav further frustrated the visitors. Ishan played a cameo, scoring 31 runs off 18 balls, and Rahul (52 off 38) notched yet another consecutive ODI fifty.
However, Sky stole the limelight in the death overs as Australia surrendered to his top-notch power-hitting. Sky made 72 runs off 37 balls with the help of 6 fours and 6 sixes. Sky proved his worth, demonstrating why the Indian team management desperately backed him in the ODI format. He also achieved the fastest fifty (24 balls) by an Indian against Australia in ODI cricket.
Australia’s Batting Succumbs to the Indian Spin Duo
The gigantic total of 399 was already dancing in the minds of the Australian batters, and to add to that, the rain affected the match, and the target was revised, which further favored India. The required run rate reached sky-high, and Australia crumbled against Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. Ashwin dismissed Marnus Labuschagne, David Warner, and Josh Inglis, while Jadeja got Alex Carey, Adam Zampa, and Sean Abbott. Ashwin finished with figures of 7-0-41-3, and Jadeja sealed the match with a spell of 5.2-0-42-3.
I Am Flexible and ready To Bat Any Position – Shreyas Iyer
In the post-match presentation, Shreyas Iyer, the Player of the Match, expressed his gratitude for the support of his teammates, friends, and family. He acknowledged the challenges he faced, the determination he held, and his joy at executing his plans perfectly. Iyer also emphasized his flexibility to bat in any position as per the team’s requirements.
“It was a rollercoaster ride, feeling fantastic. My teammates, friends, and family were there for my support. I was seeing the matches on TV, I wanted to be out there and participate in the matches. Grateful to be believing in myself. The pain and niggles kept on coming, but I knew what I was aiming for. Glad that I was able to execute my plans perfectly today,” said Shreyas Iyer.
“Basically when I went in to bat, I didn’t want to complicate things. I wanted to get my eyes set, that’s how I give confidence to myself. I am flexible, and ready to bat any position, whatever my team needs me to do. Virat (Kohli) is one of the greats, there’s no chance of stealing that (number 3) spot from him. I just need to keep scoring wherever (at any position) I bat,” he added.